What Car Q&A May 2010 - Does 'on-the-road' include road tax?

Q) If a new car’s price is advertised as on-the-road, does that include road tax? If it doesn’t, it isn’t really on-the-road, is it?Claire Hannah

A) Yes, on-the-road (OTR) prices include at least six months’ road tax. However, you’ll almost always get 12 months’ if buying direct from a franchised dealership, rather than through an internet broker.

The OTR price will also include numberplates, a charge for delivering the car to the dealership, the first registration fee of £55 and at least enough fuel to drive your new car off the forecourt. It may also include the Government’s new ‘showroom’ tax, which is levied on cars emitting more than 165g/km of CO2.